Midnight Hawk, Chitu bring impressive credentials to Damascus Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. – Bob Baffert and Steve Asmussen will have a lot on their minds this weekend, but before the Breeders’ Cup gets under way, both trainers will get warmed up with some interesting stakes action Friday.

Baffert has entered a powerful trio of Midnight Hawk, Chitu, and Declassify in the $100,000 Damascus Stakes, while Asmussen counters with Unbridled’s Note, who was excluded from the BC Turf Sprint. They’re among the principals in a field of 12 in a seven-furlong race that serves as a terrific handicapping tune-up for what lies ahead this weekend at Santa Anita.

Asmussen said he would have liked to have run Unbridled’s Note in the Turf Sprint, but the Damascus seems a worthy consolation prize for missing out. The 5-year-old horse exits seven straight turf races when well drawn in post 12 with Corey Nakatani named.

“He’s actually run a few good races on the dirt, including when he was a close third in the King’s Bishop as a 3-year-old,” said Asmussen. “Plus, his works over this surface have been tremendous.”

Two of the Baffert runners, Midnight Hawk and Chitu, are 3-year-olds regrouped from the rigors of the Triple Crown trail; similarly, Declassify returns from a layoff of note.

The Damascus directly precedes the four Friday BC races as the fifth of 10 races (post time, 1:45 p.m. Pacific).

Two races earlier, a solid cast of nine 2-year-old California-bred fillies also will travel seven furlongs in the $200,000 Golden State Juvenile Fillies on the main track. A handful of local fillies form the core of favorites.

DAMASCUS (RACE 5)

KEY CONTENDERS

Midnight Hawk (Last 3 Beyers: 102-99-95)

◗ This onetime serious hopeful for the 2014 classics is said to be training like a monster toward his return, and it wouldn’t be too surprising if he was a fairly solid favorite here with Mike Smith up. His latest head-turning drill was his 13th on the comeback trail, dating to Aug. 1 at Los Alamitos.

Chitu (Last 3 Beyers: 85-103-95)

◗ This colt, bred for shorter distances, actually didn’t run too bad in the Kentucky Derby, although clearly the rigors of the campaign told Baffert to back off on him afterward. Dating to Aug. 8 at Los Alamitos, he, too, has had 13 official workouts toward this.

GOLDEN STATE JUV. FILLIES (RACE 3)

KEY CONTENDERS

Stormy Adieu (Last 3 Beyers: 64-72-75)

◗ This rail-drawn filly was the beaten odds-on favorite behind a couple of others in here and will be looking to atone for that disappointment. Chicago-based trainer Ingrid Mason enjoyed a sensational few weeks (15-5-4-3) at the recently concluded Keeneland meet.

My Fiona (Last 3 Beyers: 79-73-56)

◗ It’s possible that her overall form looks better than most in here because she is one of the typical early-starting, precocious 2-year-olds in the Walther Solis barn, but she probably does merit lukewarm favoritism nonetheless with jockey Rafael Bejarano taking over. Beware the trainer showing mostly subpar figures in the relevant categories.

Easter Fever (Last 3 Beyers: 66-62-62)

◗ This pricey claim has fared creditably in two starts for new connections and was a good second in the key Oct. 2 optional claimer toward this; she appears to match up well here in terms of Beyer Speed Figures and tactics.

Ashley’s Sassy (Last 3 Beyers: 69-48-54)

◗ This homebred filly posted a mild 8-1 upset over some of these others after taking careful rating from the underrated Alonso Quinonez in her first attempt over dirt. She shows two handy works in the interim and should be one to fear late.